A Six Flags Over Texas employee told police that a safety restraint was “a little high, or not as tight as it should be” on the Dallas woman who fell to her death from the Texas Giant roller coaster in July, according police documents.

That employee, whose name was redacted, went to the roller coaster’s control panel to check the safety indicator light, the interview summary said. After it was determined the lap bar was secure, the train carrying Rosa Esparza was allowed to leave.

Moments later, the lap bar had moved enough to allow Esparza, 52, to fall to the bottom of the car before she was ejected from the ride, according to witnesses.

“If there would have been a safety indicator/malfunction indicator then the train would have never left the station because the computer would not allow it,” according to the police report, explaining the automated system.

Nearly 100 pages of police reports, emails and witness and employee interviews were released Thursday afternoon in response to an open-records request by The Dallas Morning News. The documents give the fullest account of the second guest fatality on a ride at the Arlington amusement park.

In a written statement from Six Flags, park officials again offered their condolences to the Esparza family and reiterated that “safety is our highest priority and at the heart of everything we do.”

“The Texas Giant reopened in September after external and internal experts determined the coaster was safe to ride and that the accident was not caused by any mechanical failure,” park president Steve Martindale said in an email.

The company announced the reopening of the Texas Giant hours after a lawsuit was filed by the Esparza family. The safety changes to the ride included redesigned lap bar pads and the addition of seat belts. Also, test seats were placed at the ride’s entrance so riders could determine whether they would fit safely in the trains.

Esparza's family is suing Six Flags as well as Gerstlauer Amusement Rides GmbH, the German firm that made the roller coaster trains.

Arnd von Waldow, the lead attorney representing Gerstlauer, had not seen the full investigative report and could only comment on summaries sent from The Dallas Morning News.

"Based on your excerpts below, however, it appears that no claimed defects allegedly attributable to Gertslauer were uncovered that caused this very unfortunate accident," von Waldow wrote in an email Friday. "This confirms the results of Gerstlauer’s investigation."

Both Gerstlauer and Six Flags have filed responses in Tarrant County court denying wrongdoing.

Recent problems

The police investigation did not draw definitive conclusions other than that the death was an accident.

Arlington police studied Six Flags video footage and tried to verify whether the indicator light for Esparza’s row was on or off before the train started. One of the riders, however, blocked the view.

An employee also told investigators that the red train — the one Esparza rode — had recently had problems. Another worker told police there had been “issues with the red train’s panel” and had seen a “trouble light” on one of the cars within the previous week.

“The sensors were not working properly and they had to have Maintenance come out and fix it,” according to police documents.

The Esparza lawsuit had mentioned that the Texas Giant had had “inconsistencies and intermittent failures” in safety systems.”

A couple of previous Texas Giant riders contacted police to tell their stories about restraint problems on the ride. Those riders were not injured.

In one instance, a girl told police that her “restraint spontaneously opened up” just before the train started.

The video captured the concerned teenager trying to get the attention of Six Flags staff by shouting: “Wait, wait, person!”

An employee had to return and re-secure the restraint before the ride started.

One woman told police she and her nephew were in the Texas Giant red train a couple of days earlier when staff shouted “all clear.” Before the train left, she told police, someone announced that staff needed to check “Car 3,” the one they were riding in.

An employee checked the restraints again before clearing the train to leave.

Contrary to reports from another witness, family members also told police they didn’t hear Esparza express any concerns to Six Flags staff or anyone else about the security of the lap bar.

“Aracely [Esparza] said her mother speaks very limited English and if a concern would have been voiced, she would have told either [son-in-law] Ronal Segovia or Aracely about it first,” according to relatives.

The consensus from witnesses was that Esparza slipped from the restraint around the first descent and slumped to the floor of the train. Moments later, she was head down in the car with her legs sticking straight up.

Some people heard screams but assumed they were riders enjoying the roller coaster. Others on the Texas Giant saw her fly out of the train.

One woman told police she covered her eyes the moment she saw Esparza leave the train.

Another rider told police he tried to grab Esparza, but couldn’t reach that far.

Conflicting accounts

There were also conflicting accounts among some witnesses riding the Texas Giant.

One said the restraint in Esparza’s car was in its proper position after the ride, while another said it was “leaning back,” according to police reports.

Police were unable to determine firsthand which account was correct.

“As all of the restraints had been raised after the last ride, thus letting our witnesses depart, I was unable to determine the restraints’ last position during the decedent’s ride,” wrote Detective C. Blank.

The documents and audio released by Arlington police also highlight the confusion after Esparza’s death.

Police documents also indicated some Six Flags employees thought the family was joking when they said a woman had fallen from the train. Employees said there was no body on the track or anywhere else immediately visible.

When Esparza’s panicked son-in-law called 911, the operator was initially confused about whether the woman fell off the ride or was missing.

“Are you sure she got on the ride?” the operator asked.

It took a few minutes to become clear that she had fallen and was missing.

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